Gov Capital Investor Blog

Can Jeans be Business Casual?

Business casual is one of the most confusing terms out there that you can be told when starting a new job. Business attire, sure, you understand that. But business casual? Does that mean you can wear your favourite comfy pair of jeans to work? Fear not, I am here to give you an answer.

But first, let me let me answer another exciting question related to the topic. Because where did “business casual” come from, anyways? Well, the very beginning has something to do with the successful marketing of Hawaiian shirts. In the sixties, the garment industry of Hawaii – eager to boost the number of shirts sold – proposed the idea of Aloha Friday, where businesses would allow their employees to wear Hawaiian shirts every Friday.

When, towards the nineties, Casual Fridays reached other parts of the world, it was met by utter confusion on the part of employees, resulting in strange combinations and outfits that were deemed “too much fun” by managers. This was when Levi’s decided to take advantage of the situation and boost their sales.

In 1992, they compiled a booklet – “A Guide to Casual Businesswear” – containing detailed outfit recommendations, many of which – surprisingly – featured their Dockers brand. The guide was sent out to human resources managers all over the USA and soon Dockers were part of the everyday life of businesses.

This situation hasn’t changed much since then, so the answer is yes, jeans can totally be part of business casual. However, there are a few more things to pay attention to when choosing that pair of jeans and the other elements of the outfit.

While I might be stating the obvious here, it is important not to pick ripped, patterned, saggy or crop style jeans. Or jeggings, for that matter. The best bet for both men and women are straight leg and boot cut ones. As for the colour, dark-wash or black jeans are the most appropriate, but if the workplace is a little more relaxed on the dress code, white or brown jeans can be acceptable, too. By any means, avoid bright colours and don’t wear more than three colours at the same time.

One more important rule when using jeans as part of a business casual attire is to dress up with it almost as if you were wearing a full business attire. This, again, depends on the workplace, but the classic definition of business casual would call for a shirt/blouse or blazer and an elegant pair of shoes.